I’ve always loved Seth’s artistic style. His dies feel so organic, with shapes that flow and move in a way that makes them incredibly versatile. They’re perfect for adding texture, dimension, and interest to your projects—and that’s exactly my jam.
BUILDING THE BACKGROUND
For this first card, I started by embossing white cardstock with the Seth Apter Grid Graph Embossing Folder. To bring the design to life, I rubbed an embossing ink pad over the raised surface, sprinkled on Tim Holtz Twisted Citron Embossing Glaze, and heat set it. Once cool, I brushed black acrylic paint over the embossed piece, let it set for a few seconds, and then wiped away the excess with a damp towel. After it dried, I highlighted the raised areas with a touch of Sizzix Gold Luster Wax for that gorgeous grungy shine.LAYERING WITH DIES
Next came the die cutting. I used the Seth Apter Stretchers dies to cut both purple kraftstock and white cardstock. I lightly sanded the kraftstock to distress it, cut it in half, and adhered it to the background. For the white piece, I heat embossed it in black for bold contrast.I also cut the circular shape from the Seth Apter Twister die set using rose gold metallic cardstock, then sanded it lightly for texture. These elements formed the layered base for my focal point.
CREATING THE FOCAL POINT
The centerpiece of this card is a layered butterfly. I started with the Tim Holtz Tattered Butterfly die (a retired favorite) cut from white cardstock. To add more detail, I ran it through again with one of the speckled designs from Seth’s Paper Cutz 1 die set—this created grungy cut-outs for extra texture.For the larger butterfly layer, I heat embossed it with Tim Holtz Seedless Preserves Embossing Glaze. For the smaller top layer, I used Seth Apter WOW Amethyst Ice Embossing Powder for a sparkly pop of purple.
The finishing touches included a small skull die cut from the Tim Holtz Vault Coffin Box set (embossed with clear powder for shine) and a stamped sentiment from the Tim Holtz Tiny Text Halloween set, heat embossed in white on black cardstock.
THE FINISHED CARD
And there you have it—layers upon layers of grungy, textured Halloween goodness! Between Seth’s organic die designs and a mix of embossing techniques, this project came together with just the right balance of spooky and stylish.
I can’t wait to share my second project with this release soon—so stay tuned for even more Seth Apter inspiration! In the meantime, I hope this card encourages you to mix, layer, and play with your favorite dies and embossing powders to create something wonderfully grungy of your own.
SUPPLIES
Below you can find the supplies I used to create this card. When you shop through those links and whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely, you’re supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!
